Some time back in the mid 1980s I was on HKG approach frequency in the middle of a CC approach to 13 on a dirty night. A Pan Am (it may have been United, the memory fades...) was given a clearance for the CC approach behind us. A slow drawl from way south of the Mason-Dixon line said words to the effect "You want us to make an NDB approach? No sir we don't do those in wide body aircraft, we're going to Taipei"
And he did. We all thought he was a wise man and that he was following the then current trend to restrict non glide slope approaches in 747s for sound safety reasons.
The world did not learn, the bean counters won, and we eroded a little bit of air safety. Many people have died because of it, and many more will do. Sad really.